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Planned Parenthood to open office

By Emily Devlin, edevlin@sentinelandenterprise.com

Updated:
01/21/2010 10:23:19 AM EST

FITCHBURG -- The Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts will open an office on Main Street in Fitchburg this spring, with the goal of reducing the area's high teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease rates, according to the agency's chief executive officer, Dianne Luby.

"We hope we'll really help people have children when the time is right for them," Luby said.

Luby told the Sentinel & Enterprise a Planned Parenthood office will likely be open locally this spring.

The organization is planning to sign a lease on a Main Street building, though Luby declined to give an exact address while it's still under negotiation. An architect has been hired to redesign the space for business.

"We want to be on Main Street in Fitchburg. We want to be in a location that's easily accessible along major transportation routes, where people will be able to get high-quality care in a nicely redone office space," Luby said.

Area residents currently must travel to Worcester to visit Planned Parenthood.

Services will include access to a broad range of contraceptive methods, from oral contraceptives to natural family planning education. Counseling services and educational programs will also be offered.

A staff of nurses, counselors and a medical director will administer all services, and clinicians will monitor electronic health records to ensure the office is following protocols.

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Planned Parenthood accepts insurance, Mass Health, and employs a sliding fee scale based on income. Services will be provided at no cost to those who cannot pay, Luby said.

"We have a very, very robust infrastructure to make sure we're providing high-quality care," Luby said.

Abortion services will not be offered, because Planned Parenthood of Massachusetts is opening the Fitchburg office using federal grant money it received in December, which carries the stipulation that abortions will not be provided, Luby said.

Assurances that abortions will not be performed left the Rev. H. Edward Chalmers unconvinced, and Chalmers was wary about the prospect of an office opening in Fitchburg.

"They may not be doing abortion services there, but they could be recommended," Chalmers, of St. Bernard's Parish in Fitchburg, said. "(Planned Parenthood) is the largest abortion provider in the United States."

Mayor Lisa Wong, who was unaware of Planned Parenthood's plans to come to Fitchburg, said its presence in the city will likely be "polarizing."

"There might be a lot of people who are happy to see it there, are there will probably be a lot of people who aren't going to happy to see something like this going downtown," Wong said.

Wong said she is interested in any business moving downtown that will create jobs, though she wants to be sure that Planned Parenthood will bring a sound operation to Main Street.

"I'm sure Planned Parenthood has a plan, and I look forward to hearing about it," Wong said.

Fitchburg city councilors offered mixed opinions about the prospect of seeing a Planned Parenthood office open on Main Street.

Ward 5 Councilor Joseph Solomito said the fact that abortion services will not be offered makes it a little less controversial than it might be otherwise.

"I have no objection to counseling and education. (Teenagers) should have a place they can go where they have someone to talk to," Solomito said.

Ward 1 City Councilor David Clark said he hadn't heard anything about the planned opening, and wanted more information about services from Planned Parenthood officials.

"I have never had to deal with those kinds of services, ever," Clark said. "What is it they do, how can they help, and how is it they decided to come here; stuff like that I'd like to know a little bit more about."

Councilor-at-large Dean Tran was more concerned about having Planned Parenthood in Fitchburg, saying though he is the father of three girls and respects women's rights, "there already exist many social services providing help to women and we do not need another one in Fitchburg."

"We should place a focus on cleaning, providing safety and job creation on Main Street and not enhancing the reputation of Fitchburg as the epicenter of social services," he said.

Ward 4 Councilor Kevin Starr said he wanted to see a strong plan from Planned Parenthood for dealing with foot traffic from clients, including ways to combat loitering on Main Street, which is in his ward.

"I would hope that city officials take into strong account the feeling of Main Street business owners who are going to be abutting this," Starr said.

Luby said she is counting on a client base of about 3,000 people, between Fitchburg, Leominster and surrounding communities.

Luby said a recent article in the Sentinel & Enterprise, coupled with troubling statistics about pregnancy and STDs in the area, helped Planned Parenthood officials choose Fitchburg as one of three new office locations, when they were awarded the federal grant money for.

For instance, Luby cited 2007 Department of Public Health statistics about Fitchburg's teen pregnancy rate, which is 45.4 births per thousand, compared with the Massachusetts rate of 22 per thousand. And according to 2007 statistics from the Center for Disease Control, the incidence of HIV and AIDS in Fitchburg was 271 per 100,000, compared to the Massachusetts rate of 261.6 per 100,000.

Fitchburg residents have not had adequate access to family planning for a few years, according to Luby, after a previous provider had to move because of the economy. At-risk populations, like ethnic minorities and teenagers from broken families, need access to contraceptives and information.

Teenage girls do not need parental permission to get birth control and counseling at Planned Parenthood, Luby said.

Marlboro and Milford will also see new clinics open in the coming months.

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